Moving On
by Gooster Bold
Summary: Dick wants to grow up and move away from Gotham to become his own person. Babs feels conflicted, but doesn't want to hold him back.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This doesn't follow any particular comic continuity.

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><p>"Robin -"<p>

But before Batgirl could get the next word out, she was already jumping from the roof and landing on the bulky shoulders of one of the henchmen. She kicked him in the face, jumping off him and into the next henchmen, who was already pulling his gun out. Knowing it was probably a bad idea to take on that many bullets at once, she jumped to grab one of the low-hanging girders over her head, swung herself over his head and dropped behind him. It only took one kick to the back of the head for him to drop like a sack of rubber noses.

"You what?"

Neck-deep in trouble already, Robin ducked down and kicked the feet out from under the four men surrounding him. He smiled cheekily to himself before eyeballing another group of armed goons from across the room and running at them, seemingly with the intention of bowling them all over. At the last second, he dodged left and threw a flash bang in front of them. The men all recoiled, temporarily blinded. Batgirl threw a set of bola at their feet, and the goons all fell to the group in an uncoordinated pile of criminal scum.

"Nothing!"

Batgirl launched herself off a wall and delivered a kick of tremendous force to the clown-masked henchman. The large man stumbled back once, but didn't drop his gun. Before he could pull the trigger, Robin threw a wing-ding, his work-in-progress take on a batarang, as his hand. He dropped the gun and cried out in pain.

Robin punched out yet another goon, who fell to the ground, before handspringing in the direction of the two more with semi-automatic machine guns. In one smooth motion, he threw two wing-dings, each burying itself in the barrels of the guns just as they were pulling the triggers. The resulting blast fired the thugs backwards into the wall, instantly knocking them both out.

Batgirl laid a quick beating on her now-crippled goon, happily leaving him in an unconscious heap on the ground. She used her grappling hook to pull another goon closer and punched him once in the nose. She eyed the last three of Joker's thugs sneaking up behind Robin, who was kicking the feet out from under the henchman he was working on. She threw three batarangs at the backs of their heads, successfully knocking out two of them. Robin glanced over his shoulder and saw the last one standing. With a precise blow to the goon's midsection, Robin threw a wink Batgirl's way and punched the goon in the face.

Robin and Batgirl silently dragged the unconscious henchmen to the center of the room, handcuffed them for good measure, and tied them to a beam. Satisfied with their handiwork, they grappled up to the rooftop and waited for the police to arrive.

They sat together in silence for a few minutes, both waiting for the other to catch their breath. Batgirl smiled at him, her face flushed from exertion, before she caught herself and forced a more neutral look. Robin, however, continued his proud smiling as though this was the best stake-out he'd ever been in. Batgirl was at his side and he'd just kicked the asses of at least ten henchmen, what more could he ask for?

Robin sat down next to her. "So what were you saying earlier?" he asked.

"Well..." Batgirl considered the tense, gut-wrenching seconds before the ambush. The idea that she could kick ass instead of talking to Robin was preferable. Her lips stayed in a firm, thin line as she considered her options.

"Batgirl?"

An hour earlier, the boy and girl wonders sat silently on the roof of one of Gotham's infinite abandoned warehouses. Batman had tasked them with apprehending the Joker's henchmen before they could receive a shipment of a particularly deadly chemical. Batman was on the other side of the dockyard waiting to intercept the ship.

The worst part about stake-outs in general is that you never know how long you're going to be waiting for. They had been waiting for hours in the chilly weather and salty wind coming in from the harbour. It was uncomfortable, as it usually was. The worst part about this particular stake-out was the awkward tension between them. They had argued into the wee hours of the morning the night before and had yet to make up, despite Robin's best efforts to lighten the mood and make Batgirl laugh. She wasn't mad at him anymore, though, she was just stressed beyond what she had the capacity for. She wanted them to be okay again, but she knew that wasn't a possibility at this point.

Dick burst through the door to her apartment looking panicked and out of breath. He held a sleek black motorcycle helmet under one arm, and was wearing an expensive-looking leather jacket with designer jeans. He always looks so good, Barbara thought to herself, momentarily distracted and thumbing the hem of her long sweater.

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" he asked, eyes wide and out of breath.

She froze. She hadn't actually thought this far ahead. The only thing she knew was that she called him, almost in tears, because talking to him seemed like the only way to make things okay.

"Babs, sweetheart?" Dick put his helmet on the kitchen table and rushed to her side where she stood in the living room. He put his hands on both sides of her face and looked her straight in the eye.

"I, uh, wanted to talk with you," she said, not quite sure how to begin. He seemed a lot taller than usual. Than before. Had he really grown this much in the three years since their first kiss?

"I know, that's why I'm here." His eyebrows were still high, anticipating the huge piece of news that Barbara's tone on the phone had indicated.

She exhaled deeply, gathering strength. This wasn't going to work. The reason she had called him over was still too unreal to be discussed. She had to think of something else. Quickly, before she accidentally told the truth.

"We should move in together," she blurted. She immediately regretted it.

"What?"

He had obviously not been expecting that. One of his hands flew up to the side of his head and buried itself in his thick hair as he scrutinized her face for an explanation. This wasn't something that had ever come up. Obviously he'd thought about it, but his age still seemed like a factor in terms of their public relationship. He was expected to be his father's son, and playboys don't move in with their girlfriends. This topic was almost considered a taboo for them, despite knowing how much they loved one another.

"Yeah! I mean, we've been a long time, right? And you're more than old enough to move out of Bruce's."

Dick lowered one of his eyebrows and looked Barbara skeptically. "Is this what you called me over here for?" His tone was careful, non-judgemental.

"Well, no," she said. "But it's pretty important, don't you think?"

"I suppose it is. Yeah. But I was hoping we could talk about -"

"So what do you think? Let's get a place together!" She was fully-committed to this idea now and filled her voice with faux-enthusiasm. Her apartment obviously wouldn't do for the both of them, especially with their exercise regimes and after-hours lifestyle, but they could find somewhere else.

"I can't."

"What? Why not?"

"I, um… I was hoping to tell you this later, but I'm moving." He unzipped his jacket and hung it over the arm of Barbara's couch. "To San Francisco."

"You what?!" she said, louder than she had intended. This was news to her.

"I need to be able to coordinate the Titans full-time, you know? I think it would be better if I could just be there in person."

The idea that he was putting the Titans, which she had yet to be invited to join thank you very much, ahead of their relationship was incomprehensible. He was already spending more than half of his free time out of Gotham and they were struggling to spend any time together at all. In fact, the most time they'd spent together in the last month had been studying between classes.

"I can't believe this!" Barbara dropped herself on the couch.

"They need me, Babs. I'm their leader."

"Gotham needs you!"

"Gotham is protected."

"San Francisco doesn't even have a quarter of the crime that Gotham does."

"It's not just about the city; we do missions all over the world."

"You can still coordinate them from here! Hell, we have teleports! You could be at Titan Tower in ten seconds!"

"And Wally could be there in one. It's honestly better if I'm just there all the time."

"I just… I can't believe you're just up and leaving!"

"I've been thinking about it for a long time. Over a year. But I'm going to do it soon, once the semester is over."

"But what about…" She didn't want to make this about herself. She didn't want to sound needy. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I'm sorry. I know I should told you this before, but... I didn't know how." Dick had seated himself next to her on her plush couch but kept his hands to himself and his eyes focused on her slippered feet.

"I get that you were scared, but you have responsibilities to Bruce and Gotham... and me." She pulled her knees to her chest and leaned back on the couch and did her best not to cry.

"I'm an adult now. Bruce knows that. I can't be his Robin forever. Gotham is safe in his hands... and yours."

"So that's it? You're going to leave us all? Are you even going to be Robin anymore?"

"I don't know. It wouldn't seem right without Batman, would it?"

"I guess not."

"I'll figure that part out when I have to." He laughed, but it lacked any kind of sincerity or feeling. "I'll probably need a new costume, too."

As best she tried to keep the tears off her face, Barbara couldn't keep them out of her voice. "Please stay with me," she said quietly, uncharacteristically softly.

"You should come with me." He gently put a hand on her thigh. "We could get a place together there, and we wouldn't even need to keep up our public façade. It would be great."

"I'm not re-locating to the other side of the country so you can babysit!" The tears were gone, replaced by indignity and sudden frustration. "I'm not going to keep coming second."

"What's the problem? I know that you're not particularly fond of Gotham either, so why are you so eager to keep me here?" Dick stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"It may not be the best city, but it's still my home. At least I'm not abandoning it like you are."

"Wh- abandoning it? Don't talk about this messed-up city like it's something worth taking care of."

"Of course it's worth taking care of!" Barbara almost screamed. "Would you have spent the last ten years risking your life for it if it wasn't?"

"I know, I'm sorry. You're right." Dick sighed. "I'm just a bit angry."

"I'm so tired of this… why are you even here?"

"I'm skipping patrol because you called me over here in a panic, and it's turned into this."

"Right…" She suddenly remember the telephone call. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her shoulders back into the couch and looked up at Dick. He looked so tense and worried and frustrated; she would have felt bad for him if she weren't so furious.

He crossed his arms, but not in a defensive or aggressive way, and raised his eyebrows. "Can we talk about why you called me over here? You sounded so upset on the phone. I was worried about you."

"I… not anymore. No."

"Why not?

"Because you're being selfish and I don't want to deal with you right now."

"Selfish? I'm just trying to live my own life!"

"By leaving me behind!"

Silence. Regret. Desperation.

"Babs... I love you."

"I love you too, Dick."

Dick sat back down on the couch and put an arm over Barbara's shoulders. He gently rubbed her arm and the two sat quietly together for a few minutes.

"It's late and I've got a midterm in the morning," he said after he felt fully pacified. "Is it okay if I go home?"

"Of course it is." She didn't look up.

"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow." He pressed his lips to her cheek softly.

Barbara heard him pull on his boots, zip up his jacket, and grab his helmet. His keys jingled as he locked the door behind him. When she was sure that he was gone, she dragged herself to the bathroom and had a very long, very hot shower.

As she dried her hair, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and her face was still a little red. Rubbing lotion into her skin, she only hoped that she would look and feel better when she woke up. She tied her hair back and glanced at herself once more before walking into her bedroom.

"Tomorrow," she said to herself.

But it was tomorrow now. Robin was staring at her, expecting some kind of words to fall from her mouth. She was being unusually quiet and timid; Robin was used to being able to carry witty, punchy banter with his counterpart. The terrified look in her eyes only added to his worry.

"Batgirl?" he said again, a little louder.

"I, uh..." There went her nerve. Quick, think of something else. "Can I borrow your car on Friday?"

Oh good. Still tiptoeing around the actual problem. She immediately regretted not telling him the truth again, not that she had any idea how to tell him the truth. Maybe she didn't have to tell him. Maybe she could just keep quiet.

"Sure." He raised an eyebrow and leaned in a little closer. "Is something wrong with your bike?"

"No. I just need to go somewhere that's a little further away."

"Well that's not a problem." He grinned, but she didn't reciprocate.

"Thank you."

Robin bit his lip and put his hand on top of hers. "Is there anything else? Did you want to talk about what happened last night?"

She thought for a minute, legitimately considering it. He deserved to know the truth, didn't he? And she needed the support that only he could offer. No. She would deal with it herself. He didn't need the burden.

"No, that's it."

Everything is going to be okay.

"Hm." There was a short beep in Robin's ear. He put two fingers to his earpiece and looked in the direction of the docks. "Talk to me, Bats. Yeah. Neutralized, you? Perfect. Over and out." He glanced back at Batgirl and smiled. "We're done here. Do you need a ride home?"

"I'm fine," she said, smiling just a little.

"Okay." Robin fired his grappling hook at a nearby water tower. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

Robin pressed the release on his grappling hook and was launched into the air. Barbara watched him glide off until she couldn't see him anymore. She balled her hand into a fist a punched the metal roof she was sitting on.

"Tomorrow," she said again.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, they bumped into each other, literally, between classes at the university café. Dick had nearly spilled his coffee on Barbara's top, but the lightning-quick reflexes one develops after spending ten years with Batman helped him to maintain his balance and her to stop herself from tripping over her own shoes.

"Whoa, that was a close call!" He laughed his charming laugh before casually dropping an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her cheek and he felt her melt under his lips.

"Hi there," she said softly, cradling her tea in both hands. She suddenly forgot why she was even mad at him in the first place.

They sat down together at the first available table and stared at one another for a few seconds. Barbara began to gather her courage to apologize and explain her attitude two nights before, having decided that he deserved at least an explanation.

"I'm sorry," Dick said before she could open her mouth.

"You don't have to be sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled like that."

"No, I really am sorry. I should have talked to you about moving earlier. It was wrong of me to assume you would be okay with it."

"Th-thank you. I'm sorry, too."

"You've given me a lot to think about, really, and I'm going to give it some more though before I actually make the move to work with the Titans."

"Really?"

"Really."

The air was clearer and Barbara felt a weight lift from her shoulders. No one could ever accuse her of being a clingy girlfriend, but she still felt relief at Dick's decision to give the move more thought. She didn't want to have to play the 'together forever' card they'd sworn on when they were both young teenagers, especially since she hadn't really considered it to hold much weight now that they were both adults. She loved problem-solving, especially when it came to her relationships.

He flipped through his day planner and scribbled in something for next weekend. His handwriting was completely illegible, even when looking at it from the right angle, so she made no attempt to decipher it upside-down. Instead, she contentedly watched him brush the hair from his eyes while he considered whatever it was he was scheduling. Satisfied, he put down his pen and glanced back up at her.

"You seem… normal today."

"How do you mean?" Barbara asked.

"You've been so quiet the last few days. No laughing, no joking, no Miss Know-it-All. Your heart was barely in that fight last night, and everyone knows how much you love a good ass-kicking. I missed your smile."

Barbara blushed and smiled sheepishly. He was so good at making tensions disappear into nothing. She sipped at her drink, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Tea?" Dick smirked.

"Yes."

"Since when do you drink tea?" He leaned forward and took a whiff of the beverage. "_Mint_ tea at that."

This was true. She wasn't normally one to drink herbal tea, especially if something caffeinated was an option. Most people in her line of work preferred the extra boost that caffeine gave after a long night's crime-fighting.

"Oh, I don't know… I had coffee yesterday and it disagreed with me."

It's awfully early to be lying again, Barbara chastised herself. Weren't you going to tell him the truth today?

"Well that's no good." Dick frowned. "Are you getting the flu?"

"Probably not. I'll be fine soon, I'm sure."

"Do you want me to take you to the doctor, make sure it's not serious?"

She sighed. "No, I'll be better soon. It's nothing serious."

Dick leaned across the table and squeezed her hand. The loving smile on his lips and in his eyes made Barbara want to kiss him on the spot. She wondered how many other girls were watching enviously. It was one of the guilty pleasures of dating someone so prominent in the public eye, even if she did secretly hate it when he played up the 'local celebrity' thing.

"When are you done class today?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm done calculus at one-thirty. Why?"

"I'm done at two. Can we go over to your place? Is Bruce going to be home?"

Dick shook his head. "No. I think he's at an executives meeting tonight. And I'm sure Alfred wouldn't mind you coming over."

"Perfect." Barbara grabbed her book bag and smiled. "I've got English lit in five minutes, so I'll meet you in the parking lot later, okay?"

She ran out of the café before he could say a word. He smiled to himself, content that he had managed to get things back to normal, and finished his coffee.

* * *

><p>"Welcome home, Master Dick. Ah, Miss Gordon," Alfred greeted them as they walked into stately Wayne Manor. "How is your father?"<p>

"He's great, Alfred. How are you?" Barbara said cheerfully.

"Same as always. Will you be joining Master Dick for dinner?"

"I believe I will."

"Very good." Alfred took their coats and hung them in the closet. "I will make the necessary arrangements."

"We're going up to my room to study," said Dick. He took Barbara's book bag and threw it over his shoulder.

"Door open, Master Dick," said Alfred knowingly.

"Yes, Alfred."

Barbara followed Dick up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom. Dick dropped their school bags on the floor the door and then dropped himself face-down onto his bed. Barbara smiled and sat down on the chair at his desk, reclining back.

"You alive?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope. Dead. Dead from school and work." The blankets muffled his voice slightly, but he made no effort to move his head or sit up.

Stretching her legs out in front of her, she stood up and leaned against the edge of Dick's bed. She poked him on the back of the head, but he didn't stir. She did it again and again, without results, until he pushed himself up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down on top of him. Before she could wiggle herself free, he looped his arms around her back and held her tight.

"You're trapped now, Babs!" he laughed.

"Hey, no fair!" She squirmed and tried to push herself up from his chest, but he only held on tighter. "Let me go!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

"What if Alfred walks in?"

"Pbbbt." He blew her hair out of his mouth. "Alfred won't bother us."

"Are you sure?"

"Well… I've usually got about ten minutes of study time until he swings by with _refreshments_," he said the last word with a mock British accent, "so I'd say we're good for another four minutes or so."

"Well, okay." Barbara smiled and wrapped her arms underneath his shoulders, hugging him a little tighter.

Dick rubbed the small of her back gently and inhaled the citrus-y scent of her perfume. He was always happiest when they were like this; alone, silent, without a care in the world. It was his favourite method of escapism, and for the first time he realized how much he would truly miss her if he moved away. Suddenly, he was hesitant to even consider leaving her. What he'd said earlier was mostly just what he'd known she would want to here. This, now, was giving those words weight.

"Dick…" she said quietly.

"Yes?"

"Should we get up?"

"Just a minute longer… please."

"Fine."

Barbara could have sworn that Dick had dozed off in the minute between their exchange and the rapping she heard coming from the door frame. Panicked, she jumped off of him and sat straight up on the edge of the bed, looking like a panicked cat. Dick followed suit, rocketing into a sitting position and staring wide-eyed at his doorway.

"Come in," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

Alfred walked in carrying an antique silver tray with two cups of coffee and scones with jam. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Barbara felt a slightly judgmental eye on her and cleared her throat. "No, of course not."

"We were just studying!" Dick added helpfully.

"Yes, I'm sure." Alfred placed the tray down on Dick's bedside table. "I've brought my two favourite academics some refreshments. Dinner will be served at seven."

"Thank you, Alfred."

Alfred threw another glance their way, smiled, and walked out the door.

Dick grabbed one of the cups of the steaming liquid and handed it to Barbara. "Here."

"Thanks, but…" she said, biting her lip.

"Sick. Right. I forgot." Dick dropped 2 sugar cubes into his coffee and stirred it vigorously before taking a long drink. He smacked his lips happily and smiled at her. "It's good, though."

"One cup wouldn't hurt, I suppose." She leaned over and grabbed the only mug, pouring a generous amount of cream into the cup. Drinking it slowly, gauging her body's reaction, she decided that she would probably be fine. "It _is_ good."

"Columbian, free-trade, organic. Probably a whole lot of other fancy ingredients, too." Dick winked. "Only the best with me."

"You can really taste the free-trade," Barbara laughed. "So what homework have you got?"

"Oh, I didn't realized we were going to spend our only afternoon together in who-knows-how-long actually being responsible." Dick rolled his eyes and grabbed a scone.

"Hey, some of us actually want to graduate."

"Well what do _you_ have for homework, egghead?"

"I just need to read some poems, delinquent." Barbara leaned over and pulled a heavy-looking literature anthology out of her bag and cracked it open to what looked like a very long poem.

Dick looked over the words before leaning back, frowning. "Nope. None of that for me, thanks."

"I guess it's a good thing you don't take literature, then."

"I guess it is."

He grabbed one of his text books out of his bag and began to take notes, while she sat on a pillow on the floor and silently read.

"I'm, uh… I'm going to San Francisco next week to catch up with the team," he said, not looking up from his book. "You should come with me. It'll be fun."

"I don't know, Dick." She flipped a page.

"It'll be fun. You've never been, right?"

"No."

"Look, no pressure or anything, just come with me. It'll be like a little mini vacation. We can stay at a hotel near the tower. You don't even need to bring your costume if you don't want to." He put his pen down and took another drink of coffee. "But it'll be more fun if you do bring it."

"I'll think about it."

"You and I both know that means 'no'. Please say you'll come?"

"I said I'd think about it."

Dick put down his book and got onto the floor. He stared pleadingly at Barbara until she looked up from her textbook and looked back at him.

"Pleeeeeeeee-"

"You're being annoying," she said, trying to not laugh.

"-eeeeeeeeeeeeee-" He leaned in closer.

"Dick, stop."

"-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-"

"Okay, okay, I'll come with you!" She said, bursting into giggles.

"-ease?" He cocked an eyebrow and grinned widely. "All right! We're going to have such a good time!"

She sighed heavily as he pulled her closer and planted a big, wet kiss on her cheek. "But only because you asked so nicely."

They continued studying without any further interruptions. When Barbara was finished, she stood up and stretched her legs, taking some time to straighten her hair and clothes, before sitting on Dick's bed and watching him scribble his hieroglyphic notes.

"You could use some penmanship lessons," she noted.

"I've got a system." He tapped the end of his pen against the page, pondering a concept from his assignments. She noticed how tired he looked.

"You wanna take a break? It's been two hours."

"Seriously? Yeah, I'm more than done with this for today. I can't even remember half these formulas right now."

"Great. What do you want to do?"

Dick cocked an eyebrow before leaning forward and pulling her down on top of him.

"Again?" she laughed.

"No… let's do something else." He tilted his head up and pressed his lips against hers.

She immediately pulled herself back up. "Hey, whoa, no! Alfred, remember?"

"He won't be back up until dinner is ready," he said with a sigh. "Come on…"

Barbara pursed her lips and glanced over at the open door. "You sure he won't be back?"

"Positive."

"Good enough." She leaned forward and began to kiss him softly. Her eyes slipped shut as she relaxed against him and she felt his hands rise up the back of her top, rubbing gently and exploring openly.

Tomorrow, she told herself. I'll tell him tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. Between finals and Christmas... well, you know how things get. Hopefully I'll be able to update with better regularity in the future!

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><p>The building, garishly, was shaped like a 'T', and stood out as obviously in the San Francisco skyline as Wayne Enterprises did in Gotham. Perhaps the apple didn't fall as far from the tree as she thought.<p>

"Wow – wow! This really is something!" Barbara hummed, impressed as she stepped through the front door of Titan Tower. "And you said one of the team designed it?"

"Cyborg, yeah. He's great, right? I love this place." Dick put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards a computer console. "I just gotta get your vitals on record for recognition. We don't want security going crazy on you."

"Okay."

You wouldn't have to scan me if you had invited me here in the first place, she thought bitterly as Dick held what looked like a supermarket scanner to her face.

"Hold still… eyes open…" He bit his lips as he carefully ran the light down her face. The machine beeped happily as he put it down and punched her name into the system.

"All done?"

"Good to go! Let's drop your stuff off in my room and I'll give you the grand tour!" He took her hand and pulled her towards a tall glass elevator.

At some point, Dick and his team had gone beyond the realm of cute and moved straight into tacky. It probably happened sometime between the oldest member of the Teen Titans turning twenty, the youngest member dying a terrible death, and them just dropping the 'Teen' part of their name altogether. They were all living some collective lie about their team still being the squeaky clean sidekick squad that they used to be. The truth, now, was that the team was falling apart faster than Dick could put the pieces back together.

Barbara considered the fact that Dick was essentially abandoning a city that needed him for a rapidly dissolving team of young adults that were probably going to end up solo soon enough. It wasn't logical, not that Dick ran on logic the way Bruce did, but it was still obviously futile enough for the move to seem stupid. There had to be another reason. Dick had to have an ulterior motive.

"And this is my room!" Dick proudly flung open a door and revealed the exact opposite of his bedroom at Wayne Manor. Dirty clothes were strewn all over the floor, his bed was essentially a pile of haphazardly distributed blankets, and there was a distinct smell of dirt in the air. If Alfred saw this, he would probably have a conniption fit.

"Wow…" said Barbara, stifling a giggle. "This sure is, um… big."

"Now I know what you're thinking," Dick grinned, putting up his hands. "But think of it as the teenage crash pad I was never allowed to have."

"You're so _rebellious_." She tiptoed around a pile of vicious-smelling socks and brushed a pair of plaid boxer briefs off a chair before sitting down.

"Pssht, this is nothing. You should see Wally's room." He put her backpack down next to the door. "For a guy who could clean his room before I could blink, I'm pretty sure he's never even done laundry here."

Barbara crinkled up her nose. "Ew."

"And Gar? Don't even get me started. I'm pretty sure the dog smell is permanent."

They laughed together as Dick divulged his teammates' less than exemplary cleaning routine, but assured her that the shared area in the base was in immaculate condition. Having met Victor before, Barbara didn't doubt this. She couldn't help but imagine him being less than thrilled at the state of his comrades' living quarters.

"But we're not sleeping here, right?"

"Oh, obviously not. I made reservations at a Wayne Enterprises-owned hotel a few blocks away. You see the size of this bed?" Dick bounced on his bed to demonstrate its twin size-ness. "Fitting two people on it is one hell of a challenge."

"And how would you know that?" Barbara asked.

"Uh… dimensions?" He smiled widely, but Barbara thought she saw something behind the smile.

"Mm-hm."

"Here, let me show you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her across the room onto his bed. "See?" he said, flipping her onto her back. "Not much room at all."

"I see." She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. "It is rather cramped. But I think it might be fine for the next hour or so."

Dick bit gently at her throat. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that. In this room."

"Now tell me all the other things you want me to say in this room."

"Say? Oh no…" Dick purred. "You're going to scream them."

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Barbara had finally composed herself enough to step outside of Dick's living quarters. Unlike Dick, who could probably walk out of a car accident looking like a supermodel, Barbara needed to at least brush her hair and wash her face before she felt like a human being.<p>

"C'mon, let me show you around." Dick winked and laced his fingers with hers.

The base seemed to be mostly empty except for the two of them and the constant hum of the high-tech machinery. From bottom to top, the tour took another hour. Finally, four hours after arriving at Titan Tower, Barbara finally met someone who wasn't Dick.

"Hello, are you Robin's guest?" the bubbly orange alien said.

"Yeah. I'm Barbara." She stuck her hand out politely. The alien took it with both hands and shook it fiercely.

"But of course! You must be Batgirl! Robin speaks of you often!"

"Babs, this is Kori – Starfire." Dick put his hand on Starfire's, silently encouraging her to stop shaking Barbara's hand.

"Yes, hello!" Starfire smiled broadly and dropped her hand. "Please call me Koriand'r. It is so nice to finally meet you."

There was no doubt about it – that disposition was sunny all the way down. Barbara wasn't used to meeting people that made Dick look moody by comparison; she suspected that most of Gotham had some degree of depression. She was just as cheerful as her bright orange skin and hair would have you believe. And just as bubbly as those breasts (the ones that Dick kept glancing at before quickly glancing away) that would put Power Girl to shame.

Hello ulterior motive.

Still, Barbara was didn't want to make such assumptions and decided to give them both the benefit of the doubt.

"Are you the only one here today, Kori?" Dick asked. "It's awfully quiet here for a Saturday."

"Oh no, certainly not. Cyborg is working in the laboratory on some kind of security enhancement, and Roy has been in his bedroom since early this morning."

"It's one in the afternoon. Don't tell me he's still asleep?" Dick pretended to sound surprised, but Roy's late-nighters had turned into all-nighters in the past few months. He wasn't so sure that Roy was spending his nights exclusively crime-fighting anymore, either.

"Oh yes. He has given me very loud instructions on multiple occasions to not bother him until he wakes up of his own accord."

"And where's Donna? She's always here on Saturdays."

"I do not know."

At this point, Barbara knew she was right about the team falling apart. Only a few years ago, when Dick had first founded the Teen Titans with Kid Flash, Wonder Girl, and Aqualad, he could barely contain his excitement when he told her about the amazing missions he had done over the weekend. Lately, the stories had become less exciting and more like he wasn't sure if there was even going to be a next week.

But Dick kept a straight face through all of this and put his arm around Barbara. "Well, I'm sorry more of the team isn't around right now, but that doesn't mean we can't have a good time."

Starfire clapped her hands together excitedly and laughed. "Oh yes! I cannot wait to do some heroic activities with you, Batgirl."

Barbara did not doubt for a second that Starfire was being genuine. The strange alien girl did not seem capable of being anything other than a glowing ball of goodwill and sunshine. No wonder Dick liked being around her so much: she was basically the opposite of Batman.

The 'heroic duties' basically consisted of watching a monitor that displayed cameras and feeds from all around San Francisco. The sun was shining, people were sexy, and the majority of crimes were being easily covered by the police. Barbara wondered if she had ever even heard of a supervillain working out of California. If this afternoon and evening were an indication, this city certainly didn't need an entire team of superheroes working out of it.

Dick didn't seem to mind the quietness, or spending hours simply talking to Starfire. In fact, he seemed much happier in this silent sterile control room than he had on a rooftop in the last several months. He was relaxed, happy, and despite the fact that they were technically on duty, his mind was far from work. Barbara didn't know whether to be happy for him or wonder what Bruce would say about Dick's less-than-admirable dedication to his work.

"So…" Barbara said after hours of watching nothing happen and listening to Dick and Starfire talk about food. "How about we suit up and go hop some rooftops?"

Dick and Starfire laughed.

"Babs, relax." Dick stood up and stretched his arms. "The second something out of the ordinary happens, we'll know. Now… who wants dinner?"

"Oh, I do!" Starfire chirped.

"I'll, uh, I'll be good." Barbara stood up and eyed the monitor. "I think I'll go for a walk, though. Seems like too nice a night to waste."

"Want me to come with?" Dick offered.

"No, I'm good. I'll be back in an hour or so."

* * *

><p>Perched atop one of the questionably low 'skyscrapers' that adorned the city, Batgirl breathed in the fresh air and scanned the streets below waiting for an opportunity to present itself. She wasn't used to waiting so long, but she figured Gotham probably wasn't the greatest example of crime compared to the rest of the country. She knew that she shouldn't be complaining about the absence of crime, but she was just so bored.<p>

"No wonder Dick likes it here so much," she said aloud, chuckling. "Low crime rates and hot alien babes. It's a teen superhero paradise."

"I couldn't agree more. Hot alien babes galore." A young, feminine voice piped from above.

Batgirl looked up and smiled. She'd know the voice of her best friend anywhere. "Supergirl!"

Supergirl landed beside her and wrapped her arms around Batgirl's shoulders. "It's been months. I missed you! What are you even doing here?"

"Robin invited me."

"Finally!" Supergirl said with mock exasperation. "It's so boring here without you."

"No, uh, not to join the Titans. I think I'm a bit old for that now. He just invited me for the weekend."

"What is the matter with that boy?" She shook her head. "Oh well, you're with me now. Let's go patrolling."

"What, you want to go back to the tower?" Batgirl couldn't imagine spending another second in that room.

"Oh gosh no! That's boring. I like to be out where the action is."

Batgirl sighed with relief. Finally, a like-minded friend. "I couldn't agree more."

A few hours and several mugging apprehensions later, the girls sat laughing on top of a billboard for some kind of impossibly sexy underwear.

"Tell me you're joking," said Batgirl between guffaws.

"No. No, I swear. A penguin!" Supergirl giggled. "He had no idea why we were laughing at him."

Batgirl let out another long, loud laugh, vaguely aware of a stitch developing in her sides. "Oh my god, I can't believe how much I'd missed your stories."

"I can't believe it's been so long since we kicked some criminal butt together."

"If you can call this level of activity 'kicking criminal butt'."

"I take what I can get. It's not Metropolis, but it's still fun."

"Well, it's not like I want you to come spend time in Gotham. This is much nicer and the air is so fresh."

"So are you going to move here with Robin, then? We could do this all the time."

Batgirl was surprised. "How do you know about Robin moving?"

"How could I not? He's been talking about it for months."

"What?!"

"Why? How long have you know?"

"About a week…"

"Are you serious? He told me you knew."

"I assure you I did not." Batgirl frowned and looked over the city. "He didn't even tell me until I brought up getting a place together in Gotham."

Supergirl put a hand on Batgirl's shoulder. "If I had known he was keeping this from you, I would have kicked some sense into him and called you."

"Who else hasn't he told?"

"Batman, obviously. Well, the entire League."

"No, of course he hasn't. But I'm sure Batman had picked up on it."

"You're probably right."

Batgirl exhaled deeply and blinked back some tears. "This really isn't the way I imagined our relationship going. I thought once he graduated, we'd get serious. He seemed all for it in the beginning"

"Girls mature faster, I hear," Supergirl mused.

"I don't know if you noticed, but Robin's not exactly a late bloomer."

"Haha, I know. The tights don't hide much."

"You eyeing up my boyfriend, Kryptonian?"

"Me and every warm-blooded lifeform in a ten-mile radius." Supergirl winked and they both laughed again.

"Including Starfire?" Batgirl said quietly.

Supergirl bit her lip. "So you noticed."

"I noticed it's pretty mutual, too."

"I'm sure he's not doing it intentionally… but he doesn't look at me and Wonder Girl like that, either."

"Ugh…" Batgirl through her eyes over her eyes and laid back.

"Don't worry, he talks about you all the time. It's pretty obvious that you're his number 1, 2 and 3."

"But he's still 18."

"And he's not Batman."

"Thank goodness." They smiled at each other.

"But that's not all there is, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've had this sad look in your eyes all night. What's really wrong?"

"It's Robin."

"It's not just Robin. I've known you for years, you think I can't tell when you're keeping a secret?"

"Are you using your x-ray vision to look at my heart or something?"

"No, I'm using my eyeballs to look at your body language." Supergirl smirked and pulled Batgirl to her chest. "Tell me what's wrong."

Batgirl was silent for a long time, but Supergirl kept hugging her and reassuringly stroking her hair.

"I'm pregnant, Kara."


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until about 2 a.m. that Barbara decided to return to the tower. She figured that Dick wouldn't mind; he seemed content enough to watch a blank screen with Starfire all night. After changing back into her regular clothes, she walked through the front door and approached the elevator.

That's when the alarms sounded.

They were loud to the point of earsplitting and red lights were flashing all around her. Instinctively, Barbara spun on her heels and started to run back towards the front door, where she was confronted by a very cold-looking security robot. She faked left, but the robot pinned her to the ground with a heavy carbon net before she could even get around it. Barbara crossed her arms and legs and sat defeated on the floor.

Both the robot and the net were obviously Cyborg's design, so she knew that she really had no chance to get away in the first place. She wasn't even slightly bitter about that part. What really annoyed her was the fact that apparently when Dick had scanned her into their system, it had just been for the one day. Temporary. A day pass.

He hadn't even planned on her being there for more than a day.

The alarms eventually ceased, the lights stopped flashing and Victor appeared in front of her. He pressed a button on the robot to retract the net and looked at Barbara sitting on the floor.

"You know that's our street level security, right?" Victor smiled, helping to her feet. "Civilian stuff. You should have made it to the second floor at least. Then the real systems would have kicked in."

"You flatter me," Barbara said. "But we both know that no one's getting past your systems without super speed and technomancy."

"Ha ha, well I've gotta keep these kids safe somehow." Victor was the oldest member of the team by only a few months, but that didn't stop him from pulling the fatherly role stuff every so often.

"What a bunch of brats," Barbara laughed with him.

"I was a little surprised to see Dick only put you in for the day, so I went ahead and made you a registered guest before I deactivated the alarm. You've got Batman-level clearance now." They got onto the elevator together and Victor pressed the button for the residence level.

"Thank you." She liked the sound of having Batman-level anything.

"So," he said after a moment. "Coming back in awfully late, huh?"

"Well, new city. Lots to explore."

"I'll bet." The elevator whirred to a stop and Victor gestured for Barbara to get off. "You remember which room is Dick's, right?"

"Yeah." She stepped off the elevator and waved at Victor.

"Great. Have a nice night." The doors closed and the elevator continued its climb to the top of the tower.

Every footstep echoed down the cold, sterile hallway. Though it was a welcome change from the blaring alarm system, it still made her feel uneasy. She wondered if Dick was still awake. She wondered where she would be sleeping tonight, since it was pretty obvious that she wasn't fitting on that tiny bed with Dick. She wondered if anyone else had ever slept on it.

She reached his door and briefly wondered whether she should knock, but decided against it. This was her boyfriend's bedroom and she'd been welcome to enter it as she pleased for years.

The door swung open while her hand was still on the knob and Barbara found herself eye-to-eye with Starfire.

"Batgirl!" Starfire squealed. "You are back, thank goodness!"

"Yeah, of course I am." Barbara put her hands on Starfire's shoulders and gently pushed her out of the way so she could step into Dick's room.

"I was very concerned when you did not return, but Robin assured me that you were fine." Starfire looked on the verge of tears. She sniffled once before putting the glowing smile back on.

"Yeah," Barbara said. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Very good! I will see you both in the morning!" Starfire floated gleefully down the hallway to her own room.

When Barbara was sure that she was gone, she firmly closed the door and locked it.

"Where have you been?" Dick asked.

"Patrolling," said Barbara. "What was she doing in here?"

"Don't change the subject. You should have told me where you were."

"Why, worried I might get a tan? It's boring out there, Dick."

"You're still not familiar with the area. Who knows what might have happened to you!"

"Kara was with me. I was perfectly fine." Barbara sat down on his bed next to him. "Besides, it's impossible to get lost. All I have to do is follow the big 'T'."

Dick huffed. "You're right."

"Of course I am. Now tell me, what was Kori doing in here?"

"She was worried about you, so I let her wait with me."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, what?" He gave her a sharp look. "Do you really think that little of me?"

"Hey, you're the one with a perky-as-all-hell alien girl in your room at 2 a.m."

"I..." He dropped his shoulders and leaned back. "Love you."

"I know you do." Barbara sighed and looked at the wall. "I love you too."

"I had an evening planned, you know. I was going to take you to this great tapas place down the street once we were done watch."

"Really? It seemed like we were going to be in that room all night."

"I get that."

"They're probably closed now, right?"

He looked at the watch he wasn't wearing. "Oh yeah, about two hours ago."

"Heh... sorry." Barbara shrunk back sheepishly.

"It's fine... there's an all-night place around the corner. The decor's not much, but the pancakes are good." Dick pulled his shoes on and grabbed his jacket. "If you're up for it?"

Barbara put her backpack on the ground and opened the door. "Of course I am."

* * *

><p>The pancake were, in fact, quite good. The entire place had a dive-y kind of feel, so it reminded Barbara of Gotham. The tiled floors were probably the same ones that had been installed decades ago when the diner first opened, and the chapped vinyl seats were held together with electrical tape. It was dirty, but still vaguely quaint.<p>

"So now that you've seen the city properly, what do you think?" Dick said between alternating mouthfuls of bacon and orange juice.

Barbara put down the spoon she was using to stir her tea. Dick hadn't said anything about it this time. "About what?"

"Moving here with me."

"Dick..." She rested her forehead on her hand. "I'm not sure how to say this."

"Say what?"

"It's just that... it's boring here."

"What?"

"There was nothing bigger than a mugging the entire time I was out there. I don't think I can thrive in this kind of city." She smirked. "It doesn't need me, and it certainly doesn't need an entire team to protect it."

"Are you calling us useless?" He pointed his knife at her jokingly.

"No, darling, I'm calling you superfluous."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Check out Miss Literature Major here with her ten dollar words!"

Barbara laughed. She loved the way Dick always made a point of showcasing her vocabulary to the world, even if it was embarrassing.

"So how did the midterm go?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm a Wayne baby," Dick said, mockingly smug. "Everyone's too scared to give me anything below an 'A'."

"I'm sure the fact that you're a baby genius has nothing to do with it."

"Nothing at all, I assure you." He winked. "And you just know what would happen if I brought home a subpar grade..."

"Yeah, I'm sure Bruce-"

"Bruce?" Dick laughed. "You think too small. Alfred. Alfred would roast me over the coals if I let my GPA slip."

"What?" She sputtered out a short laugh.

"Oh my god, do you not know? I brought home a C one time, in history I think, and Alfred was so disappointed that he stopped doing my laundry and cooking my breakfast."

"Whoa, what a nightmare," she said with false terror.

"No, you don't understand. The silent treatment from Alfred is worse that Bruce saying that he wants to talk to you."

She shuddered. "Okay, I get it now."

Dick, having long since cleaned off his plate and finishing hers, sucked on his coffee spoon. He glanced around the restaurant one before leaning forward. "You want pie? This place has pretty good pie."

Barbara hadn't gotten to finish her food before Dick helped himself to it, but it was pointless trying to stop the food vacuum. "Sure."

He pushed himself out of the booth and wandered towards the counter, chatting flirtatiously with the waitress before putting in an order. This didn't bother Barbara; the waitress was well into her 50s and didn't exactly fit the California stereotype. He talked this way with everyone, she knew that. She'd lived with it for most of her life. So she had to wonder why his friendship with Starfire was so bothersome.

Dick slid back into the booth and winked at her. "A la mode, because only the best for my girl."

She smiled. "Oh you."

"Oh me, indeed." He stretched his arms above his head before making himself comfortable again.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Barbara saw that they'd been here almost two hours. She was beginning to feel tired. "After this, we should go to the hotel."

"I agree," said Dick, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"How are you not exhausted?" Barbara was as nocturnal as the next bat, but it seemed like Dick could go forever on extremely little sleep. More of that Batman training kicking in, she supposed. It wouldn't be much longer until she could operate on three hours of sleep.

Dick shrugged.

Their pie arrived, looking more like a plane crash than an actual dessert, but Dick did not so much as hesitate before digging into the berry-flavoured gore. Babara's stomach turned over as she swallowed her first bite, which, though delicious, was sweeter than she was used to. She placed a hand over her lower abdomen and rubbed it gently, trying to calm herself.

"You okay?" asked Dick, red and purple juices staining his lips.

"Fine, just..." She pushed her plate away. "Fuller than I thought I was, I guess."

"Score." Dick grabbed her plate and dumped the pie and ice cream onto his mess of a plate.

Barbara waited patiently for him to finish, but the sight of him digging into the dessert with such gusto reminded her that he was still only 18. No matter how much she loved him and how many responsibilities he had on his plate, he was still a teenager. For the first time since she found out she was pregnant two weeks ago, she genuinely thought about telling him. She genuinely thought about their options.

She already knew, deep down, that there was no way for her to finish school or continue being Batgirl for the foreseeable future if she kept it. Money would never be an issue for them, obviously, but her superhero career would be over. Dick would want it. Dick would be excited. Barbara had no doubts at all that Dick would be the best father in the world. He would do anything in the world for her as it was. Throw a baby into the mix and he might just stop trying to make her move.

No, it would probably just cause the opposite. She knew for certain that she would never raise a child in Gotham City: it was far too dangerous. Dick was already trying to make her move to San Francisco for her own safety. She could say for certain that if his own child was at stake, he would badger her about it every day until she gave in. There would be no guilt in hanging up her cape in San Francisco, the city that didn't need her. She could start a family with Dick and live a perfectly comfortable life together.

But she still wasn't sure if that was what she wanted. She sipped nervously at her chamomile tea, wondering who in their right mind would drink something without caffeine. She eventually resolved that the first thing she needed to do was tell Dick the news. Tell him he wasn't the batbaby anymore. Tell him that his fondest wish had finally come true.

"Dick..." she said quietly.

Dick scraped the last remnants of pie off the plate and happy shoveled them into his mouth. "Ah..." he hummed, patting his stomach.

The waitress came by to pick up their plates and Dick slipped her a fifty.

"Change?" the waitress asked, holding up the note which covered their bill twice over.

"Nah, it's all for you," Dick said, turning the charm up to 11, but with pie still around his lips. "Thanks for putting up with us. Everything was superb."

Barbara gestured to his mouth, which he wiped off with a napkin. After leaving, Dick dropped his arm around Barbara's shoulders and directed them towards the hotel. He played tour guide a little, telling her all about different points of interest as they walked by. He checked them in, informing the front desk to not bother them until late in the afternoon. A flash of his credit card and they were set to go.

The suite was at least twice as large as Barbara's apartment, and covered from top to bottom in expensive paintings, furniture, and rugs. She was worried about breaking something until Dick stomped through with little regard for any of the fixtures. She decided to treat the place the same way she did Wayne Manor.

"And people just... spend the night here?" said Barbara, kicking off her shoes. "I could live in a place like this!"

"Live in a hotel, Babs? Nonsense. I'm getting us a penthouse!" Dick tossed his jacket aside and sat on the huge, plush couch. "Right downtown. Heart of the nightlife. It's got a balcony the size of a tennis court with a pool, a gym, a library, and we even can get a dog. I know how much you've always wanted a dog. I'm thinking a golden retriever. Maybe a German shepherd. Unless you want something smaller? I'm also partial to corgis. No cats, though. Never liked cats. No idea why."

Barbara gawked at him, running the lines of babble through her mind. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, it was going to be a surprise, but... I just couldn't help myself. Look!" Dick held up his phone and flipped though some pictures on a real estate website. "I bought it this morning. It was too perfect. I could totally see us living there."

"Dick, I..."

Dick put a hand to her mouth and pulled her down onto the couch next to him. "Not a word. I know you're still on the fence about things, so I wanted to show you how committed I was to us living together."

There was genuine excitement in his eyes. He smiled widely as he showed her all the photographs of the penthouse and the building, pointing out the square footage, marble counter tops, hardwood floors, and two fireplaces. It was one of the most beautiful homes Barbara had ever seen.

"This is... amazing," Barbara said at last.

"I knew you would love it. We can move in May. You know, once exams are over. We can transfer to university here during the summer. It'll be easy."

"But I..."

"Don't worry about a thing."

"Does Bruce know?"

"Of course he does. He figured it out on his own, then offered to pay."

"He what?!"

Dick looked at her skeptically. "He offered to pay for our place. In fact, he insisted on it."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was no way Bruce would just allow Dick to move out so easily. "He didn't try to stop you?"

"Well, yeah... of course..." Dick sighed. "But you know we've been fighting a lot lately, right? He said that if I was going to move out, he'd at least like to know where I'll be."

"Dick."

"What?"

"I don't want to move here."

He put his phone down. "No, of course you don't."

"We've already had this conversation. Twice. I don't want to leave Gotham, and one night in California isn't going to change my mind."

"But I already got us a place."

"I know, I know. And it's such a sweet gesture. I would honestly be crying right now if this place were in Gotham."

"Oh, for the love of- why? Why are you so set on staying in that terrible city?"

"Because it needs me. It needs you, too, and you'd realize that if you weren't so wrapped up in orange alien boobs!"

Dick brought his fist down on the coffee table. "I didn't sleep with Kori!"

"But you thought about it."

"Am I not allowed to think now?"

"What? No, of course you are!" Barbara felt her face turning red. "But don't think I didn't see the way you two are constantly ogling one another."

"We work together, a little sexual tension is natural. It's what got you and me together, remember?"

"So she's the new me?"

"I didn't say that!"

"But that's how you're justifying it!"

Dick stood up and walked into the bedroom, returning moments later with a quilt and two pillows.

"Go to bed," he said. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Dick..."

"Please. I don't want to have this fight again." He threw the pillows onto the couch and began settling himself in.

"Okay." Barbara wrapped her arms around her waist and felt her stomach flip. So much for a low-stress weekend.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

She waited in the bedroom, staring alternately at her stomach and the ceiling, waiting for Dick to start snoring. It didn't take long, it never did, so she tiptoed into the den and left a note on the coffee table before creeping out the door. She took a taxi to about a block from where the teleporter was, and went home.

She dropped herself face-first into her unmade bed and cried herself to sleep. She silently blamed it on the hormones.


End file.
